BALTIMORE, Md. — What was once a dream for brothers Ayman and Osama Abdeldayem is now a reality as they welcome customers into their flagship location for their brand, Carpet Company.
Carpet Company's first brick-and-mortar storefront is now open in Baltimore
"I just want people to be like, there's something cool here in the city," said Ayman. "Baltimore needed it."
Hundreds of people seemed to agree, lining up around the block for a chance to get inside on the day of the store's grand opening.
Which was validating for them after two years of grueling work to transform an old bank on North Avenue into a cool skate shop and clothing store, offering high-quality items with a personal touch.
"This is a place for everyone to come see and be able to connect with the city, so it meant a lot to us," said Osama. "If we were gonna open a store, we wanted it to be something that's perfect for everybody."
As kids, they used to skate past the building and think about the possibilities. Once it was theirs, it was a big undertaking to turn a bank safe into a dressing room and restore a decades-old clock.
"It was decrepit, it was sad, it was broken down, it was empty, but the body of it was beautiful," said Osama.
With the help of their team, they used that to create a place for all kinds of people to come and see their designs.
With their Good Neighbor coffee shop right next door, a chrome pyramid in the middle of the store (a nod to their Egyptian heritage), and a working spinning clock out front with their logo.
"It's like a museum, kinda; it's lit; this is very cool. I think it's gonna attract a lot of creatives and people that are interested in the same kind of stuff, and it's gonna become a community spot, I think," said Deion Underwood, who came in from Frederick.
By bringing more people into the neighborhood, it's allowing them to discover what other treasures the city has to offer.
"I found a bunch of other cool brands; some of them are cool with the Carpet Company guys. There's a fashion community; this can kind of be at the epicenter of that. This area has a lot of potential. It's cool to see people coming out," said Guy Springer and Amir Johnson.
Carpet Company is open Thursday-Monday, 11-7 pm (12-6 pm on Sundays).
